Sleepless Nights
by V.Johnes
Summary: Seth found her sitting on his couch, his blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a book in her hands, he thought she had gone home three hours ago. Set after "Get out of my way!" but before "And his heart stopped"


**Sleepless Nights**

 **Disclaimer: I (sadly) don't own Designated Survivor**

 **A/N: Seth found her sitting on his couch, his blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a book in her hands, he thought she had gone home three hours ago.**

 **Enjoy!**

He was exhausted, the press core was out for blood these past three days since the first lady was kidnapped some speculated that she had left the president for another man, others that she left him because she caught him with another women, and his personal favorite straight from Info-Wars and FNC Llloyd was alive, the government faked his death and the first lady was in on the plan from the beginning. He had at least three asking why the president hadn't invoked the 25th, the Bartlet administration after all had set a president about that. The right wind media was moving between calling the president a cold blooded subhuman monster for not invoking the 25th and the second coming of Hitler for abusing his power to find his wife, left wing media was calling him a pillar of strength for managing to maintain enough strength to run the country. If only they knew the truth though…

The president, his president was neither of those things, he was a broken man, barely keeping himself together, passing out in his private study from the alcohol working himself to the ground in the gym and barely eating, while the VP was running the country in his behalf. But the press couldn't know, Emily, Lyor, Josh and Toby had come up with this plan and he was in complete agreement, if the press had gotten a whiff of that the president was toast.

He entered his office and closed the door behind him, he found her sitting on his couch his blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a book in her hands although he thought she had gone home hours ago.

"Kendra?" she looked up from her book and a small smile appeared on her lips, "Hey" she said letting her book down "Your briefing ended? How did it go?" her voice betrayed her exhaustion. Seth walked to his chair and sat down, leaning back, closing his eyes, he was trying, really trying to forget where he was, what was happening around him.

"It was a bloodbath, half of them were asking me why the president hadn't evoked the 25th and the other half wanted to know if the first lady left with another man or left because of another woman." He rubbed his hand over his face, he needed sleep so much right now.

"So the FBI telling them that she was probably kidnapped even without ransom requests didn't stop them from speculating right?"

"I told you it wouldn't" a sad smile appeared on her lips, they were right there in the same seats two nights ago after the press conference with FBI director Forstell when he told her in no uncertain terms that this release was bullshit.

"Maybe you guys should talk to Forstell tell him to declare this as a kidnapping, after all we all know it is. Mrs. Kirkman didn't leave with another man and the president didn't cheat on her. She didn't leave on her own she was taken by somebody. "

"I know that Kendra but Forstell… he thinks that way we are endangering the situation, bunch of baloney if you ask me." He turned to her, she was biting her lower lip, the circles beneath her eyes betraying her tiredness more than anything else. "When was the last time you had a good night's sleep?" he asked her, she chuckled and looked him in the eyes. "The last time you did." She buried her face in her hands "It's been three long days Seth." She said with muffled voice.

"Yeah." Seth got up from his chair and sat down next to her wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "It's been three long days for all of us and I'm afraid they are about to get longer."

 **A/N: There! SethxKendra fic, set between "Get out of my way!" and "The world is getting crazy" Let me know what you think!**


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